It is often difficult to mount housings on car dashboards, boat consoles, walls, and other places, when the housing is designed both to be flush with the dashboard or other surface and to hold a relatively small but heavy object. The object can be an electronic device, such as an in-dash compact disc player or other entertainment system, or when the housing is a merely a recessed shelf, the object can be compact discs, papers, or other stored objects. Because the object is relatively heavy, the housing must be securely supported on both sides of the surface to which it is attached. And because the housing has a small opening for containing the object, the cavity in the dashboard or other surface provides little room for a user to reach into the cavity during installation to align and secure mounting components. These components can include brackets and housing faces, both with corresponding alignment holes, and screws.
All of these limitations are found on vehicles, such as boats, airplanes, and cars, where electronic devices are often used and where it is difficult to reach to the back surface of a dashboard or other surface to align and install the mounting components. This often leads to time-consuming and frustrating attempts to mount housings, shelves, and the like, especially on vehicles and similar structures.